Chapter 27: Waking Snakes

Potions Classroom, Hogwarts...

Professor Severus Snape had gotten up from his desk and rushed over toward Hermione Granger's workstation. She had gotten his attention with some nonsense about adding the wrong ingredient to her potion and he leaned over the cauldron. In a matter of seconds the contents exploded in the Potions Master's face and he broke out in what looked to be a terrible case of acne. The students had gotten a right good laugh at that. Hermione simply acted as if she had no idea how that could have occurred. The Potion they were brewing was a simple strength draught there had been no reason for his face to be inflicted with acne unless the Gryffindor witch purposely added ingredients to make it so.

Snape was fuming. He had not particularly enjoyed puberty when he had to endure it and the acne had not been a pleasant side effect. His enraged obsidian eyes fell on the seemingly innocent Gryffindor witch in front of him. So she wanted to play his game. She was welcome to try.

"So Miss Granger." said Professor Snape. "You wish to play the game with Slytherin rules?"

Hermione smirked at him smugly.

"Then by all means...play." said Snape. "But, do keep in mind that I am the Head of Slytherin and you now have detention with me for a month for failing to follow instructions and causing a potentially dangerous explosion."

With that Snape stalked back over to his desk a dark scowl present on his face.

"I think Snape just declared war." said Pansy looking at Hermione.

"Granger, I don't want to be in your shoes on the best day but this is something else entirely." said another student.

"He's right pissed." said Ron. "Although the acne was a nice touch."

"Hermione." said Harry looking back between her and Snape. "I don't think you want to go down this road...this is Professor Snape were talking about...he so vindictive he makes professor Lupin's Wolfsbane Potion taste like garbage for being one of the marauders."

"He started it." replied Hermione.

"He's also a teacher." said Ginny.

"Only until summer." replied Hermione not taking her eyes off Snape.

"Summer's a long way away." said Neville.

"We faced down Voldemort...I'm not afraid of him." said Hermione mustering her Gryffindor courage.

Snape's eyes seemed to darken at this.

{"You should be."} said his voice in her mind.

Hermione looked at him in utter shock. Did he just enter my mind?

Class had ended and not a moment too soon. Hermione had detention to serve as consequence for the prank she pulled, but it was well worth it. She had taken The Greasy Git down a few notches. It seemed almost worth it. Almost. Snape had scowled blackly as he made his way down the corridor everywhere students pointed out how gross the Potions Professor's bumpy face looked.

Hermione Granger was going to pay for his in spades.

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Later...

Potions Classroom, Hogwarts...

Pay Hermione Granger did twenty fold by the time she got halfway through her detentions. Snape had been the same as before utterly silent and seemingly busy with his grading to notice that she had been in the room. She had been scrubbing cauldrons for days and they seemed to be in an endless supply. Hermione had worked until her hands started to cramp. Said cramp had made itself known while she was stacking the clean cauldrons onto a shelf. A cauldron fell into her hand crushing it as she tried to keep the others from falling. The pain had been pretty strong but she gritted her teeth and tried to finish her task. She had not expected Professor Snape to get out of his seat and check on her.

"Let me see your hand Miss Granger." came his baritone drawl from behind her.

Hermione tried to hide her now seemingly bruised hand from the Potions Professor thinking that he would have only made it worse.

"I-it's fine I'll go and see Madam Pomfrey when I'm done here." she said.

Snape grumbled something along the lines of "idiot girl" and "crybaby."

Hermione had been left alone as she attempted to finish her task despite the pain. Snape returned to his grading as if nothing had happened. When the time came for her to leave, Hermione was hit with nearly crippling pain, so much so that she again got Professor Snape's attention. Before she could say anything he had been behind her holding her aching hand at the wrist.

"Idiot girl." had been all he said as he took his wand in his hands and tapped the tip of it to hers. "Velox sanare."

Hermione felt the pain subside and her hand return to normal. The scent of jasmine from her hair had caught him by surprise and he found himself recalling the scent as familiar. It had an overwhelming effect on him that he had not recognized before. Hermione been solely focused on her newly healed hand. Snape swiftly made his way back to his desk and had returned to his grading once more.

The Gryffindor witch turned to face him.

"Thank you Professor Snape." she said evenly. "Good-night sir."

He waved her off dismissively and she headed out the door. There were pressing concerns that were weighing on his mind that didn't include some young Gryffindor chit. Concerns about a boy named Sebastian and why the scent of Jasmine had made him feel so strangely. He had not understood what had been going on here but he was determined to get to the bottom of it. Lucius Malfoy being him in polyjuice form was only one aspect of this. He was sure of it.

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Severus Snape's Quarters, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts...

Severus Snape had gone to bed quite late in the night. He could not get why he had been so affected by the scent of jasmine. The Potions Master had been having strange dreams of a woman he was sure he had never met before but she came to him every night with heat behind her amber eyes and a voice like velvet. Every night since he returned he would dream that she was at a kind of party wearing a beautiful black dress that seemed to hug her slender body in all the right places. He had always arrived in a black suit with his equally black shoes and his lank raven hair had been pulled into a ponytail and tied with a black ribbon.

It had always been the same. He picked her up at the party and they ended up back at Hogwarts in his private rooms.

{ Dream Snape had taken the lady's shoes off one by one. She looked at him with a hunger in her eyes that he had never seen before. It made him feel strange and exhilarated at the same time. He continued to work the beautiful woman out of her clothes one article at a time with a slow and meticulous method. He removed his own clothes and she had not been startled in the least by his numerous scars nor was she daunted by the prospect of his size.

She simply reached out for him. His hear started pounding in his chest in anticipation. If she was a temptress, she was a damn good one. He watched as her chest rose and feel in the same sense of anticipation. Her heated eyes never left him, they looked to be almost like amber as she continued to watch him.

There was no shyness or apprehension between them. They acted as if they had been lovers for quite some time and had been use to each other's bodies. The familiarity had not taken the appeal out of their encounters. The beautiful woman pulled him down on her as their bodies maneuvered in his large black four poster bed. She seemed as if she could not get enough of him as his pale lips crashed against her soft pink ones in a heated kiss.

The pale raven haired dream Snape found himself between The beautiful woman's slender legs. In an instant he entered her feeling only the warmth of her body as they engaged well into the night.

"Severus." she said softly clawing at his pale back.

Dream Snape groaned losing himself in the feel of her youthful body.

"I missed you." she said softly losing herself in the power of his thrusts.

"I'm not going anywhere." he replied kissing her neck as he continued.

Her moans began to fill the room followed by his quiet grunting.

"Yessss." hissed Dream Snape losing himself completely. "You're so beautiful..."

The witch couldn't reply lost in the wake of his ardor.

She had been a truly amazing woman. Exceptional even. He had not had many women that could keep up with him before but she had.

Dream Snape felt himself reach his end and so did the woman of his dreams. They had lied in bed equally spent from their engagement and looked up at the ceiling. Her head had been rested on his chest and he had not minded the contact.

The Beautiful woman with amber eyes suddenly sat up.

"I-I have to go." she said sadly.

Dream Snape sat up as well.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I-I'm sorry I can't stay." she replied sadly.

"You don't have to go." he replied.

She touched his face sweetly.

"It's always like this." she said sadly "You won't remember me in the morning."

"Wait." said Dream Snape clutching her hand. "Don't go."

"I didn't mean to hurt you Severus." she said sadly. "I didn't know."

Dream Snape had been utterly confused.

"What do you mean you didn't mean to hurt me?" he asked. "Why are you leaving?"

The beautiful woman took one last look at him and kissed him on the lips sweetly.

"I love you." she said softly. "Slytherin Git."}

Severus Snape in the present sat up in bed looking around in the dark. Everything in the dream had felt so real. He took a moment to catch his breath and sighed. He should be so lucky.

Only in his dreams did beautiful women come to him in such a way and even then they left him alone.

What the hell is happening to me?

Who was that woman?